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WWE NXT had a few major segments and matches scheduled for this week after Karrion Kross and Finn Balor made their in-ring future clear last week. Kyle O’Reilly and Pete Dunne were scheduled to meet in one of the biggest matches of the night to determine Balor’s challenger for NXT New Year’s Evil.
After he attacked Damian Priest during last week’s episode of NXT, Kross was also scheduled to return to action on this week’s episode of the show. Kross easily defeated his opponent, and he also delivered a warning to his next opponent.
Shotzi Blackheart competed against Indi Hartwell, while Johnny Gargano and Austin Theory teamed up to compete against Leon Ruff and KUSHIDA.
Tyler Rust got a chance to shine against former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa on a show where Bronson Reed was announced to make his much-awaited return next week.
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Finally, Dexter Lumis received a compelling role for NXT New Year’s Evil, and it will be interesting to see how he handles it.
It was certainly an eventful episode of WWE NXT, so let's take a look at the five things the show got right this week.
#5 Austin Theory and KUSHIDA impress on WWE NXT
Damian Priest was taken out by Karrion Kross last week, leaving Leon Ruff without a partner for his tag team match against Johnny Gargano and Austin Theory. But KUSHIDA immediately stepped up by offering to team with the former WWE NXT North American Champion.
Ruff tried to get the better of Theory early in the contest, but Gargano managed to take him out with ease. He isolated the former NXT North American Champion and tried to keep KUSHIDA out of the match.
However, a hot tag allowed KUSHIDA to get into the match and take his opponents down. He was red-hot, and he kept keep Theory and Gargano down for some time. But Ruff made the rookie mistake of tagging himself back into the contest, do he suffered a beating from the two heels.
"The Rebel Heart" took KUSHIDA off the apron, and Theory hit a ew finisher on Ruff to pick up the victory for his team. Theory and KUSHIDA were the two bright stars in the match, and their performances made the match stand out.
Ruff will likely go back to his role as an enhancement talent, but we will hopefully watch Kushida progress to the NXT North American Championship picture sooner rather than later.
#4 Karrion Kross returns to issue a warning on WWE NXT
Dexter Lumis drew a picture to announce that he would be the host of WWE NXT New Year’s Evil. Seeing how well Shotzi Blackheart handled the previous event, "The Artist" could shine with this opportunity, too.
Karrion Kross then made his return to the ring with Scarlett by his side. The former NXT Champion ripped through Desmond Troy and threw him around the ring effortlessly.
After a vicious Saito Suplex, he locked Troy in the Kross Jacket to pick up the victory. After the match, Kross laid out a challenge to Damian Priest for the NXT New Year’s Evil show.
While Kross impressed in his first match in months, NXT could have given him a more well-known competitor to make his return a little more memorable. Dominating enhancement talents is something that doesn’t really help leave a mark, especially in NXT. Still, Kross remains remarkable, no matter who he's in the ring with.
Booking Priest to take on Kross is a bold move, as the former NXT Champion will probably run through "The Archer of Infamy." It seemed like NXT was ready to give Priest a shot at a major push, but now it looks like they will be giving him the Tommaso Ciampa treatment against Kross.
#3 Tyler Rust suffers Tommaso Ciampa’s wrath on WWE NXT
Newcomer Tyler Rust was put in the spotlight in a match against Tommaso Ciampa this week on WWE NXT. Rust had tried to attack "The Blackheart" during his match against Cameron Grimes, and Ciampa looked to teach him a lesson in return.
Ciampa was interested in having Timothy Thatcher at ringside again. He even set up a steel chair for his rival to sit on if he decided to come out. Thatcher did not disappoint, as he took the seat so he could watch his student compete.
Rust accidentally stuck Thatcher, and this incident did not sit well with the teacher. Chaos ensued, and Rust was able to get the upper hand by pulling down on Ciampa’s left arm to take him off the apron.
The newcomer kept the pressure on "The Blackheart", and he even managed to counter the Fairy Tale Ending to hit a big boot. Rust managed to lock Ciampa in the Rings of Saturn, and he almost made the former NXT Champion tap out.
Ciampa eventually hit the Willow’s Bell on Rust to end the contest. He then got into an argument with Thatcher on the stage, and officials had to run out to separate the two enemies.
This was a good match for Rust, as he showed that he has a lot of potential. He could become a bright star in NXT. The fact that he got to face a main-event talent like Ciampa suggests that WWE sees big things in his future.
The victory will allow Ciampa to continue his rivalry against Thatcher, and Ciampa fans are likely happy to see "The Blackheart" regularly compete on NXT again.
#2 Raquel González helps Toni Storm against Rhea Ripley on WWE NXT
Toni Storm and Rhea Ripley faced off on this week’s episode of WWE NXT. Both stars have been doing a phenomenal job on the brand, and it seemed like NXT was looking to build a long-term rivalry between the two.
While Ripley tried to take down Storm with some clean moves, Storm used her new heelish tactics to gain the upper hand against the former NXT Women’s Champion. A headlock and a series of kicks kept "The Nightmare" down.
Both women had a nasty spot where they headbutted each other before they fell down to the mat. Ripley took Storm down with a dropkick and then applied the Prism Trap on her opponent.
While the two women were building up to the finish of their match, Raquel González walked out to save Storm from a Riptide attempt. With the referee distracted, González slammed "The Nightmare" shoulder-first into the steel post. The attack allowed Storm to connect with Storm Zero to pick up the victory.
By defeating Ripley, Storm could move on and become a potential challenger for the NXT Women’s Championship. On the other hand, NXT is ready to revisit the rivalry between Ripley and González, which will likely be even better this time around.
#1 Pete Dunne and Kyle O’Reilly put on a stunner on WWE NXT
Adam Cole and Roderick Strong accompanied Kyle O’Reilly to the ring for his match against Pete Dunne on WWE NXT. Likewise, Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch came out with "The Bruiserweight" for the match.
Killian Dain attacked Lorcan and Burch early on, and The Undisputed ERA helped him take them down. Dunne and O’Reilly still put on a terrific match in the ring despite all these distractions.
The two men took each other to the limits, and fans once again got to see why O’Reilly deserves to become the NXT Champion in the future. He gave Finn Balor one of the best matches of his career, and he looked to do the same against the former NXT United Kingdom Champion.
Dunne focused on his opponent’s joints, while O’Reilly took him down with some excellent technical strikes. In the end, O’Reilly caught "The Bruiserweight" in the ropes and hit a diving knee to pick up the victory.
The Undisputed ERA member will now have his second shot at Balor, and he will look to dethrone "The Prince" at NXT New Year’s Evil. This match between O'Reilly and Dunne fantastic, and both men threw everything they had into showing exactly what the NXT Championship means to them.
